THE BRAIN

Your Brain – Some Facts

the weight of an average human brain is about 1300-1400g

The brain represents only 2% of your weight

it uses 20% of the oxygen consumption, and up to 25% of the glucose in your body

Brain Parts

The Brain is made up of 3 sections:

The Brain Stem

The Cerebellum

The Cerebrum

Parts of the Brain

Parts of the Brain

The Brain Stem

Connects the brain to your spinal cord.

The Brain Stem controls essential functions: Breathing Heart Rate Body Temperature Pain Hunger.

The Cerebellum

The Cerebellum controls: Balance Movement Co-ordination of muscles

The Cerebrum

Is the largest, most highly developed part of the human brain. It makes up ~85% of the brain.

The Cerebrum controls: Cognitive Function (Thinking) Perception Imagination Decision Making

The Cerebral Hemispheres

The cortex is roughly symmetrical between left and right sections called hemispheres.

The left hemisphere is associated with the right side of the body and vice versa.

Usually the left hemisphere dominates as it contains the centres for language and reasoning.

The Cerebral Lobes

Each of the hemispheres is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal.

The Frontal Lobe

Concerned with:

Reasoning,

Planning,

Parts of speech and movement (motor cortex),

Emotions, and

Problem-solving.

The Parietal Lobe

Concerned with:

Perception of stimuli related to touch,

pressure, temperature and pain.

Knowledge of numbers and their relations

The manipulation of objects

The Occipital lobe

It is primarily devoted to controlling vision.

The Temporal Lobe

Concerned with:

perception and recognition of auditory stimuli

(hearing)

memory (hippocampus).

How Much of a Brain do you really need?

One French man seems to be managing fine with just a small fraction of his actual brain.

In fact the man has succeeded in living an entirely normal life despite a huge fluid-filled cavity taking up most of the space where his brain should be.

Tests showed that the man's IQ is 75 -- the average is 100 -- but he was not considered physically or mentally disabled.

His condition had not impared his development or his socialization. He is married with two children and works in the tax office.

Scans of a man's brain showing a huge fluid-filled chamber and the thin sheet of actual brain tissue

Compared to Normal Brains.

Scans of a man's brain showing a huge fluid-filled chamber and the thin sheet of actual brain tissue

Compared to Normal Brains.

Showing the eyes in a Normal person